Surat Thani

Well, today was an eventfull one! I woke up at 4 AM to dogs barking and howling. I don't just mean Albertane in her crate. This was insane. There must have been at least twenty dogs within a small radius screaming at the top of there lungs. I don't remember it stopping, just puttng the spare pillow over my head.

Then I went to the bus station. I got my ticket for the 11:30 bus to Surat Thani. Of course the bus didn't show up untill 12:10. The lady at the bus terminal decided it wouldn't be important for her to tell me that the bus which had just arrived was the one I should board. It sat in the parking lot for a few minutes when I started to get suspiscious. The conductor was impatiently searching for someone. I asked him if his bus stopped in Surat Thani and with a frustrated tone he told me that they had been waiting for me forever and, in Thai, something that I took to mean 'get your ass on the bus!'

About halfway through the trip the bus brokedown and all the passengers were herded off into a dusty area with some rundown restaurants, who did not seem to actually be serving food, and a Kwik Mart.

After finally arriving here I wandered around for a bit trying to find a hotel listed in the guide. No luck. I resigned myself to checking in to a place called the Rajthan Hotel. The room is certainly not the worst place I have stayed on this trip but it isn't great. Phang Nga is a small town without much to do. Surat Thani is a big town without much to do. No worries though, tomorrow at 7:00 I am catching a bus to the pier and then a boat to Koh Tao.

Tonight I will probably wander the night market next to my hotel bed and then get to bed early since I have to wake up so early.
C. Johnson

P.S. Quite Comical: The TV in my hotel was playing a Thai dubbed version of Pulp Fiction. It was the scene where 'Big Man Brad' gets it from Sammy J. Some parts of the scene had the guns and cigarettes blurred out while others don't. I dunno, just thought it was wierd.